


Recovery and Reconstruction 7 -- Impending Incumbency

by Viola_Laterra



Series: Recovery and Reconstruction [7]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/M, Post-Canon, Royalty, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2019-12-31 22:36:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18323333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Viola_Laterra/pseuds/Viola_Laterra
Summary: Zelda has made great strides in reconstructing Hyrule.  The Council is working as she had hoped, and Hyrule castle and town have been rebuilt, but a new challenge looms for her: the responsibilities of becoming Queen.  Link arrives back after a trip around the country and reports to her on what he's learned, and they hit on the idea of taking a short vacation.





	Recovery and Reconstruction 7 -- Impending Incumbency

Zelda felt tired. It was only early afternoon, but she had another meeting in an hour, and it was hard to imagine getting out of her chair, let alone going into the meeting-room and running everything. Did her father get this tired, she wondered?

Of course... he hadn't established a council that needed to be facilitated; she thought he wouldn't have had the patience for such a thing. But on the other hand, he'd had a Calamity brewing. So... maybe he'd been just as exhausted, with the weight of the entire country on his shoulders. It was just a different set of activities they engaged in as rulers, perhaps.

The Council was working very well, though, she thought to herself. She was quite proud of it. It had only been six months since she'd secured agreement from all the leaders to establish it and send representatives. It had taken time to choose the representatives, and they'd met once a month since then. 

But they'd already established ground rules for meetings and decisions... and they'd already designed a system for improving communication between the different groups and for sharing resources more systematically, trying to work out what some groups needed and what other groups had. 

There had been cultural barriers, of course... but Zelda, having had experience with all the cultures in question, was usually able to soothe ruffled feathers and get around stony silences. 

And this wasn't even a meeting of the Council, coming up. It was a group of her Hylian advisors, who were to discuss with her some of the details of her coronation, coming up next month. 

The castle, and the town surrounding it, had been substantially cleaned up and rebuilt. She hadn't anticipated that by establishing this as a criterion for her coronation, she would stimulate a great building boom. She sometimes dared think it was because the people actually wanted her crowned Queen, but that thought was overwhelming. Quite contrary to what people had thought of her a hundred years ago. Now, her impending coronation was largely intimidating, however positive the context.

So perhaps it was the topic of the meeting that was so exhausting. It was likely why she responded a little peevishly when there was a knock at her door, and her chief assistant, Garill, leaned in.

"Oh, what is it *now*?" she said, irritated.

Garill frowned, and said, "The Champion has returned." Usually he would have said so with more excitement; he was always excited when Link returned home. He'd begged to be Zelda's assistant when she'd set up shop in the castle again. He'd told her he'd studied the ruins of the battle at Fort Hateno, and he'd always known that she'd stopped the final wave of attacks. He was their biggest fan... He must only appear unhappy in this particular moment because she was acting so cross. She had a moment of guilt, treating Garill badly when her exhaustion was her own problem.

But, in any case, if it was Link arriving back after his trip around the country, this was another matter entirely. Garill stepped into the room a little warily, holding the door open, and the Champion of Hyrule followed him in.

"Link!" Zelda exclaimed, jumping to her feet. He looked wonderful, as he always did; at ease, but full of strength that could be relied on at any moment... lean and tanned from the sun, and dressed as usual in the Champion's blue tunic with the emblem of the Master Sword at the neck. She'd always thought the blue color suited him, and no one else in Hyrule wore it. She almost ran across the room to him, but then thought the better of her enthusiasm, in front of her chief staff member. She'd better act the Queen she was about to be.

She cleared her throat and said, "Thank you for your recent tour of the country, Champion. We eagerly await your report." He smiled at her just a bit cheekily. It said to her that she had only partly managed to appear sufficiently imperious. But he bowed to her formally just the same, saying it was his pleasure to share what he'd observed at her earliest convenience.

Zelda sighed, sat back down at her desk, and gestured for Link to sit across from her. She was certain that Link's report would take longer than an hour; and she was equally certain that she had much more interest in spending time with him than in hearing anything her coronation committee had to say.

For a moment, she debated whether she could simply move the meeting; Link had been gone for weeks on this particular tour, and though her coronation was only a month away, surely the meeting could wait a day or two.

And then she remembered that she was the Princess, after all. Shouldn't that mean that once in a while she just got her way?

"Garill, tell the committee I have postponed the meeting until two days from now." The man started to object, but Zelda gave him a look that indicated this was not up for discussion.

"Of course, Princess," he said. She added, "I should like to hear the Champion's report in private, please." "Of course," he said again, bowed to the two of them, and left the room.

Alone now, Zelda rose and came around the desk to stand next to Link. She reached down, taking his hand and drawing him to his feet. He stood readily, and then stepped close, tracing the back of a finger down her cheek and then leaning in to kiss her, softly.

She had missed him... it had only been a few weeks, and there had been plenty to do, of course, but... somehow it was all less overwhelming when he was here with her.

After a delicious moment of that, she broke away, sighed, and said, "I really *do* want to hear your report." He nodded, chuckling, and followed her to the couch and table by the fireplace at the other end of the room. She picked up her paper and pen, and carefully took notes on everything Link told her, as he proceeded to describe everything he'd seen and done since he'd been away.

As he told her of the opinions and problems he'd encountered in each of the villages in different parts of the country, Zelda felt more and more uneasy. She knew of the current events in the Zora's Domain, for the Rito and the Sheikah and the Gorons, because the Council had kept her apprised; but hadn't been aware of a number of the issues in the outlying Hylian villages... how could she effectively represent them and make decisions that affected them, when she couldn't travel out and talk with them? In the first several months following the Calamity, when she and Link had been roaming the countryside, meeting with various leaders, she had had a much better grasp of the local issues. She couldn't always rely on Link to go and gather information for her... and she hated to have him away so long, at any rate.

So as he wrapped up his report, she frowned. He asked her if something was wrong.

She thought for a moment, putting her hands together and leaning on her elbows, tapping her fingers lightly to her chin. "Well... I am just trying to think of a way to get this information more regularly, without having to send you to do it." Link nodded, and waited for her to go on. She knew he recognized her 'thinking' look. She felt like a solution was just around the corner of her mind, and if she could stop pushing on the problem, it would come to her willingly.

Eventually she dropped her hands into her lap and sighed. "It's no use. My brain is stuck. I... I think I need a break from... all this," and she waved her hand at the royal drawing room around them. 

It was lovely, of course. Opulently decorated, since it had been newly rebuilt. Someone had even lovingly restored some of the furniture her father had used when he was king. She wasn't quite sure that reminder was a feature for her, both the remembrance that he was gone because she had failed in that key moment, and bringing her back to the fact that she frequently felt like she was trying to distinguish herself from him as a ruler. 

But there *were* moments when she sat at his desk, and placed her hands on the smooth, lacquered wood, and thought about the fact that he'd touched the desk, rested his arms on it... her father had done, countless times a hundred years ago, as she was doing now. And sometimes it made her feel a little less alone. And maybe like he was watching her from somewhere, proud of her.

She sighed again. Looked over at Link, who was still waiting. She set her paper and pen on the low table in front of them and scooched closer to him on the couch.

"I think I need a vacation. Actually... I think *we* need a vacation," she said to him flirtatiously. He smiled at her, and as she slid closer still, he stroked her hair back from her face and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. He reminded her that he hadn't shown her his favorite Sheikah shrines in the Hebra mountains yet; maybe they could go there for a couple of days.

"Oh! *That* is a most excellent idea," Zelda said, but then became distracted as Link began kissing her neck. She *had* missed him... for his companionship, and his advice, yes... but also for this. She darted a quick look around the room, not that anyone else was there at the moment, but she still sometimes felt a little guilty, stealing moments of intimacy with him, in the midst of her royal trappings.

But surely just a few moments would be all right, she thought. So she hiked up her skirts and in one smooth motion straddled him as he sat on the couch, sliding close and leaning down to kiss him deeply. Link showed only a little surprise, quickly adapting to this development, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her tight against him. They got a little carried away, her grinding a bit and feeling that he was getting hard, and also feeling moisture developing in delightful ways inside her. She started considering just how far they could risk trying to get without being interrupted... when there was a knock at the door.

"Augh," she said, leaning her head against Link's, defeated. He chuckled gently and helped her off his lap. She straightened her clothes and attempted to look regal.

"Yes, what is it?" she said. Garill opened the door a crack, and said, "You have a messenger from Lurelin Village. Should I send her in?"

Zelda looked at Link. He shrugged, ever so slightly. She said to Garill, "Yes, of course. Send her in. But, Garill --" she called him back as he bowed and started to leave to let the messenger in.

"Yes?" the man said, waiting. "Garill, I will be taking a few days away from the castle to travel a bit."

He started to object. She said, firmly, "The preparations can wait a few days. And there's no need for concern. I will take the Champion with me, so my safety is guaranteed."

Garill looked quickly from her to Link, and back again; Zelda was sure he knew of their relationship, as did many people, though until now no one had made anything of it. But Garill didn't react any further, and simply said, "Of course, your Highness." Zelda nodded to Link, who bowed to her and left the room as the messenger entered and Zelda prepared to receive their tidings.

**Author's Note:**

> I figure ruling/leading a country is like adulting, but on steroids. Zelda is probably up for it, but it's got to exhaust her. I also think she'll keep forgetting that she can make her own rules. That will come up again in the next scene, as well. :) Also I enjoyed playing with the idea of what Link and Zelda's relationship will look like after some of the trappings of the royal family are restored... because that would be quite different from the way the game ends, and much more like some of the memories/flashbacks.
> 
> written March 25-April 1, 2019


End file.
